Armored-and-jacketed submarine cable splices and method of preparing such splices

ABSTRACT

A splicing technique for connecting armored-and-jacketed cables is described. The method is particularly useful in regard to submarine cable. Single- and double-armored cables, which may or may not be caged, are spliced in such a manner as to restore the splice to the strength of the original cable. The splice itself consists of several splice positions, and the wires and splice areas are completely embedded in a rubberlike material before the outer jacket is restored.

United States Patent mo I16 Paul S. Munu Boxford, Mass.

June 19, 1967 July 13, 1971 Simplex Wire and Cable Company Cambridge,Mass.

Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 629,155, Apr. 7, 1967, nowabandoned.

Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee ARMORED-AND-JACKETEDSUBMARlNE CABLE SPLICES AND METHOD OF PREPARING SUCH SPLICES 29 Claims,8 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 174/88, 29/628, 156/49 lnt. Cl H02g 15/08 Field of Search174/70.1, 77, 76, 84, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 21; 29/624, 628, 630 F; 156/49[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,647,699 11/1927 Hoeftmann174/88 X 2,536,173 1/1951 Hamilton... 174/88 X 2,429,889 10/1947Morrison.... 174/91 X 2,435,284 2/1948 Lodge 174/84 2,913,514 11/1959Short 174/88 X 3,134,843 5/1964 Monelli 174/88 Primary Examiner- DarrellL. Clay Attorney-McLean, Morton and Boustead ABSTRACT: A splicingtechnique for connecting armoredand-jacketed cables is described. Themethod is particularly useful in regard to submarine cable, Singleanddouble-ab mored cables, which may or may not be caged, are spliced insuch a manner as to restore the splice to the strength of the originalcable. The splice itself consists of several splice positions, and thewires and splice areas are completely embedded in a rubberlike materialbefore the outer jacket is restored.

ARMORED-AND-JACKETED SUBMARINE CABLE SPLICES AND METHOD OF PREPARINGSUCH SPLICES CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application isa continuation-in-part of my pending application, Ser. No. 629,155,filed Apr. 7, 1967, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This inventionrelates to splices in cables and particularly to splices in armored andjacketed submarine cables. This invention also relates to methods ofproducing such splices.

2. Description of the Prior Art A caged-armored and jacketed type ofsubmarine cable has recently been developed which substantially differsfrom conventional armored cables. The caged-armored and jacketedsubmarine cable is constructed by having the armor wires (which arespaced apart) served simultaneously with, and embedded in, the outerjacket of thermoplastic or other suitable material. This mode ofconstruction of the strength member of the submarine cable provides acable with great strength, lower cost, smaller size, and superiorprotection to the strength member from abrasion and corrosion. Thesplicing of the caged-armored and jacketed submarine cable presentsseveral problems, some of which are not encountered in the splicing ofconventional armored cables. There is the need of restoring a continuousjacket over the splice area without ineluding voids within the splicearea to prevent jacket collapse under hydrostatic pressure.

The conventional overlaid-type armor splice normally has a length of 25feet or longer which causes extreme difiiculty in obtaining jacketrestorations which meet the above requirement. Shorter sleeved armorsplices, of the conventional type, complicate jacket restoration becauseof an irregular diameter. There is also the need of achieving a uniformtension balance between the several armor wires so that the splice has astrength approximating that of the original cable. Any splice must alsoretain sufficient flexibility and limit any diameter changes in order toprovide satisfactory handling capabilities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention broadly is a cable splicebetween two elongated cable sections where each cable section includesan elongated core member; one or more separate layers, each separatelayer being comprised of a plurality of elongated strength membersconcentrically arranged around the core member; and an outer jacket ofthermoplastic or other suitable material. The splice is comprised of:

a. The elongated core members of the two cable sections attachedmechanically to each other in an abutting position;

b. the plurality of elongated strength members of each separate layer ofone of the cable sections terminated at least at two different positionsalong the length of the cable section and attached mechanically to thecorresponding elongated strength members of each separate layer of theother cable section which have been terminated at the same positions toaccomplish the matings, where the outer jacket of each cable section hasbeen removed back to a suitable position, whereby there is sufficientspace to splice one cable section to the other;

c. an elastomeric substance embedded around the elongated'strengthmembers and the various attachment positions; and

d. a continuous outer coating covering the entire area of the cablesfrom which the outer jacket has been removed.

The broad concept of this invention envisions the splicing of caged andnoncaged armored and jacketed cable, and the splicing of such cablehaving one or more layers of armor wires. The term caged means that oneor more of the layers of armor wires are embedded in the inside portionof the outer jacket of the cable. In more specific embodiments, theelongated strength members are helically served around the core members.The cable spliced according to this invention is normally and preferablysubmarine cable.

This invention includes the broad method of splicing together two cablesections, where each cable section includes an elongated core member;one or more separate layers, each separate layer being comprised of aplurality of elongated strength members concentrically arranged aroundthe core member; and an outer jacket of thermoplastic or other suitablematerial, which comprises:

a. removing the outer jacket of each cable section back to a suitableposition whereby there is sufficient space to splice one cable sectionto the other;

b. attaching the elongated core members mechanically to each other in anabutting position;

c. terminating the elongated strength members of each separate layer ofone of the cable sections at least at two different positions andterminating the corresponding elongated strength members of eachseparate layer of the other cable section at the proper positions toaccomplish the matings;

d. attaching the ends of the mating elongated strength membersmechanically to each other;

e. embedding the elongated strength members and the various splicingpositions within an elastomeric substance prior to application oftensile load; and

f. placing a continuous outer coating over the entire area of the cablesections from which the outer jacket has been removed.

A narrower embodiment of this invention is a cable splice of twoelongated cable sections where each cable has one layer of elongatedstrength members concentrically arranged around the core member, whichis embedded in the inside portion of the outer jacket. The splice itselfcomprises the elongated core members of the two cable sections attachedmechanically to each other in an abutting position; the plurality ofelongated strength members of one of the cable sections terminated atleast at two different positions along the length of the cable sectionand attached mechanically to the corresponding elongated strengthmembers of the other cable section which have been terminated at thesame positions to accomplish the matings, where the outer jacket hasbeen removed from the elongated strength members of each cable sectionback to a suitable position; an elastomeric substance embedded aroundthe elongated strength members and the various attachment positions; anda continuous outer coating covering the entire area of the cables fromwhich the outer jacket has been removed. The splice area of thisparticular embodiment is described in detail in the following detaileddescription of the drawings. The armor wires are terminated at severalsplicing positions and preferably are attached to each other by means ofcrimped sleeves that fit over the ends of the individual wires. At eachsplice position, the armor wires can be bound tightly together by meansof a binder wire into a bundle that includes the crimped sleeves. Anelastomeric substance that preferably vulcanizes at room temperature,such as, a polysulfide rubber compound, is placed around the hated armorwires and the splices so that the wires, etc. are embedded in thesubstance while under no load. This causes even a slack wire in thesplice area to carry its load of any tension subsequently applied to thespliced cable and helps to prevent void spaces containing entrapped air.Preferably the embedded substance is applied utilizing a mold whichplaces a taper at each end that extends onto the surface of the originalunstripped cable sections. A continuous outer coating can be placedaround the entire encapsulated area by helically wrapping conventionaljacket tape around it and then fusing the tape by means of heat.

The method of splicing the two elongated cable sections of theimmediately foregoing narrow embodiment of this inven tion comprises:removing the outer jacket of each cable section back to a suitableposition whereby there is sufficient space to splice one cable sectionto the other; attaching the elongated core members mechanically to eachother in an abutting position; terminating the plurality of elongatedstrength members of one of the cable sections at least at two differentpositions along the length of the cable section and terminating thecorresponding elongated strength members of the other cable section atthe proper positions to accomplish the matings; attaching the ends ofthe mating elongated strength members mechanically to each other;embedding the elongated strength members and the various splicingpositions within an elastomeric substance prior to application oftensile load; and placing a continuous outer coating covering the entirearea of the cable sections from which the outer jacket has been removed.The sequence of several of the steps in the above-described method ofsplicing is not crucial and can be interchanged, as one skilled in theart will realize.

Another narrow embodiment of this invention is a cable splice betweentwo elongated noncaged cable sections where each cable section includestwo separate layers of elongated strength members concentricallyarranged around the core member. The splice itself comprises: theelongated core members of the two cable sections attached mechanicallyin an abutting position; the outer layer of elongated strength membersof one of the cable sections terminated at least at two differentpositions along the length of the cable section and attachedmechanically to the corresponding outer elongated strength members ofthe other cable section which have been terminated at the properpositions to accomplish the matings, where the outerjacket has beenremoved from each cable section back to a suitable position; a pluralityof housings which are traversed longitudinally by an internal passagewaythrough which the elongated core member passes and which is positionedinside of the outer layer of elongated strength members; the inner layerof elongated strength members of one of the cable sections terminated atleast at two different positions along the length of the cable section,the number of which positions equals the number of housings used, andmechanically attached to the housings that are positioned for thestrength members having that particular length, and the inner layer ofelongated strength members of the other cable section terminated at theproper positions to accomplish the matings by attachment to thecorresponding housings, where those inner elongated strength memberswhich are not attached to a particular housing pass through the internalpassageway of the particular housing; an elastomeric substance embeddedaround the elongated strength members and the housings; and a continuousouter coating covering the entire area of the cable sections from whichthe outerjacket has been removed. The outer layer of armor wires isspliced in the manner set forth above for splicing the caged andsingle-armored cable. The inner armor wires are terminated in part at anumber of positions along the length of the cable and are attached tohousings which help take up any tensional load. Preferably, each housingis'inwardly tapered at those portions near the openings of the internalpassageway; has an annular recess that traverses it in a direction thatis generally perpendicular to the internal passageway; has annularridges that lie between the annular recess and the tapered positions;and has a plurality of external grooves extending through the annularridges that are generally parallel to the internal passageway, whereincorresponding inner armor wires are attached to the housing by means ofa sleeve affixed near the end of the sleeve members which fit into theannular recess when the particular inner armor wires are placed in theexternal grooves of the housing. The inner armor wires have crimpedsleeves on the end of each wire, which are placed in the annular recessof the appropriate housing in a manner so that the wires fit into thegrooves. The other inner wires that have not been terminated at thatposition and the center core pass through the hole in the center of thehousing. The outer armor wires pass outside of the housing, and like thespliced inner wires, can be bound to the bundle by means of a binderwire wrapped around the housing. The preferred manner of placing acontinuous coating around the encapsulated area is described in thefollowing detailed description of the drawings.

The method of splicing the two elongated, noncaged cable sections of theimmediately foregoing narrow embodiment of this invention comprises:removing the continuous outer coating of each cable section back to asuitable position whereby there is sufficient space to splice one cablesection to the other; attaching the elongated core members mechanicallyto each other in an abutting position; terminating the inner pluralityof elongated strength members of one of the cable sections at least attwo different positions along the length of the cable section andterminating the inner plurality of elongated strength members of theother cable section at the proper positions to accomplish the matings;positioning a housing at each termination position of the inner strengthmembers, which is traversed longitudinally by an internal passagewaythrough which the elongated core member and the remainder of the innerstrength members are passed; attaching the ends of the mating innerelongated strength members to the appropriate housing; terminating theouter plurality of elongated strength members of one of the cablesections at least at two different positions along the length of thecable section and terminating the corresponding outer elongated strengthmem bers of the other cable section at the proper positions toaccomplish the matings; attaching the ends of the mating outer elongatedstrength members mechanically to each other so that the outer strengthmembers are positioned concentrically outside of the housings; embeddingan elastomeric substance around the inner and outer elongated strengthmembers and BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A more completeunderstanding of the basic principles of this invention can be obtainedfrom the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of a splice between two caged-singlearmored andJacketed cable sections with substantial portions broken away and withthe splice segmented into two portions for convenience;

FIG. 2 is a partial diagrammatic representation of the splice of thelayer of armor wires of the cable sections shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view of a splice between double-armored and jacketed cablesections (noncaged), with substantial parts broken away and with thesplice segmented into three portions for convenience;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross section at one splicing position of theinner armor wires of the cable sections shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross section at one splicing position of theouter armor wires of the cable sections shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6 in FIG. 4,looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 7 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the terminating sleevehousing taken on line 7-7 in FIG. 8, looking in the direction of thearrows; and

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of terminating sleeve housing, with someportions broken away.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring to FIG. I, whichillustrates the preferred embodiment of the splicing of thesingle-armored cable, the numeral I00 represents a caged-single-armoredand jacketed cable which is comprised of outer jacket or coating 104,core 108 which typically includes a central conductor and layer of soliddielectric applied about such conductor. A plurality of armor wires 112are helically served, spaced apart, around core 108.

Outerjacket 104 can be a thermoplastic or other suitable substance.Armor wires 112 are represented as circular wires, but they can take anyshape, for example, rectangular, etc., can be single or stranded wires,can be coated or uncoated, and can be present in any convenient numberto form what is essentially a layer. Core 108 can include a singleconductor or a composite structure including several separatinginsulated conductors, but should be flexible enough so that it can beused as a submarine cable.

In FIG. 1, outer jacket 104 has been stripped away from armor wires 112at the end of each of cable sections A and B by any convenient method.Outer jacket 104 has been stripped back to point 116 on both cablesections A and B, which is about 14 inches from the end of each cable.About halfof armor wires 112 of each cable section are terminated at aposition about 6 inches from point 116. When cable sections A and B areplaced end to end, halfof armor wires 112 ofeach cable section mate withhalf of armor wires 112 of the other cable section in each of thepositions indicated at 120 and 124. Position 120 lies about 6 inchesfrom point 116 on cable section A and position 124 lies about 6 inchesfrom point 116 on cable section B. Core 108 of each cable section isterminated about 10 inches from point 116, and then they are abuttedtogether and attached mechanically and electrically in any convenientmanner. The shorter armor wires 112 of cable section A are individuallymated with the longer armor wires 112 of cable section B by means ofsleeves 132. Sleeves 132 are crimped in a multitude of places 136 toensure good attachment. The shorter armor wires 112 of cable section Band the longer armor wires 112 of cable section A are similarly matedand attached to each other. Armor wires 112 could be collectively orindividually electrically connected to each other, if desired. Crimpedsleeves 132 are separated with spacer rods 128 and are bound tightlyinto bundles at points 120 and 124 with binder wires 140. The entiresplice is then placed in a removable mold, an elastomer-formingsubstance 144 in the liquid state is poured into the mold, and curedwhile no tensile load is applied to the spliced cable, therebyencapsulating wires 112 and the bound bundles at positions 120 and 124.Substance 144 preferably vulcanizes at room temperature to form arubbery solid, such as a polysulfide rubber, but

other materials such as polyurethanes, silicones, etc., can be used.Substance 144 fills the void areas around sleeves 132, spacer rods 128,and armor wires 112, and provides a smooth regular contour around thesplice areas and wires. Substance 144 improves the tension balance ofwires 112 that is needed if the strength of the splice is to closelyapproach that of the original cable. However careful the splicingtechnique may be, there is invariably some slack or looseness in some ofthe individually spliced armor wires 112, which of course means thatthese wires will not carry their appropriate share of the load whentension is applied to spliced cable 100. By placing and curing substance144 around and over armor wires 112 and sleeves 132, each individualwire 112 with its corresponding splice is forced to take up a portionalshare of any tensile load that is applied to the cable. Onceencapsulation of the spliced areas has been completed, outer coating 104is restored by a conventional hand-applied wrapping of a jacket tape148, such as polyethylene tape. Jacket tape 148 is normally applied in ahelical manner around the encapsulated area and beyond points 116 oncable sections A and B. The strands of jacket tape 148 are fusedtogether by the external application of heat to form an integral andcontinuous outer coating. Layers of glass fiber and/orpressure-sensitive polyester tape can be included between rubberlikematerial 144 and outer jacket 148 to provide a partial heat and vaporbarrier.

The novel splicing technique of this invention, when using the submarinecable shown in FIG. 1, produces a splice that has an overall length ofabout 3 feet, whereas the use of the conventional overlaid-type armorsplice would produce a splice that has an overall length of about feet.The novel splice also has about 100 percent of the original strength ofthe original cable.

Armor wires 112 can be divided into other than two groups, for example,three, four, etc., with each group terminated at different positionsalong the bared portion of cable segment A. With the same done to cablesegment B, the corresponding groups of armor wires 112 can be paired offwire by wire so that a splice may be obtained at each group location,thereby producing a plurality of splice locations. The disadvantage ofusing more than two splice locations is that the overall length of thetotal splice is increased.

A partial diagrammatic representation of the splices at positions and124 is shown in FIG. 2 wherein crimped sleeves 132 are illustrated asbroken away. FIG. 2 readily shows how half the wires 112 of both cablesections A and B are terminated at each of positions 120 and 124 andthen spliced by means of crimped sleeves 132.

Referring to FIG. 3, which illustrates the preferred embodiment of thesplicing of a double-armor cable, the numeral 200 represents adouble-armored and jacketed submarine cable, that is not caged. As bestshown in FIGS. 4 and 6, cable 200 is comprised of core 208, a layer ofarmor wires 212 helically wrapped around core 208, another layer ofarmor wires 216 helically wrapped around armor wires 212, and outerjacket 204. Outer jacket 204 preferably consists of a thermoplasticsubstance, but can be made of any other suitable material. Armor wires212 and 216 being helically wound, form what might be collectivelytermed elongated strength members 212 and 216. Core wire 208 is alsotermed elongated core member 208.

A polyethylene pipe 220 is slipped over one of cable sections C and D toa position outside of the splice area. Pipe 220 can be made ofathermoplastic or any other suitable material, but should be of the samematerial as the original cable jacket. In FIG. 3, outer jacket 204 hasbeen stripped away from the end of each of cable sections C and D. Outerjacket 204 has been stripped back to point 224 on both cable sections Cand D, which is about 54.5 inches from the end of each cable section.About one-half of armor wires 216 of each cable section are cutoff at aposition about 29 inches from point 224, and the other one-half of armorwires of each cable section are cutoff at a position about 41 inchesfrom point 224. Armor wires 216 are spread back out of the way. Aboutone-half of armor wires 212 of each cable section are cutoff at aposition about 15.5 inches from point 224, and then spread back out ofthe way.

Terminating sleeve housing 232 has a longitudinally oriented passageway234 that traverses its entire length (see FIG. 8). Terminating sleevehousing 232 is slipped over core 208 and the remaining portion of armorwires 212 of cable section C, and then another is similarly slipped overcable section D. The remaining portion of armor wires 212 of each cablesection is unraveled and folded back out of the way. Core 208 of eachcable section is terminated about 35 inches from point 224, abuttedtogether, and attached mechanically and electrically in any convenientmanner. Terminating sleeve housings 232 are slipped into position atposition 236 (about 15.5 inches from point 224 on cable section C) andposition 240 (about 15 .5 inches from point 224 on cable section D).

As best shown in FIG. 4, termination sleeves 244 are placed on theoverlapping ends 247 of every pair of armored wires 212 to be joined,with a part of each wire 212 extending a few tenths of an inch or sothrough its associated terminating sleeve 244, and then crimped (seenumerals 246). Each termination sleeve housing 232 is tapered on bothends 248 and has ridges 250 inside of tapered ends 248. Ridges 250 aretraversed longitudinally by a series of deeper grooves 252 and shallowergrooves 254 (which are best illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8). An annularrecess 256 traverses each housing 232 around its entire central portion.Grooves 252 and 254 in ridges 250 have openings on lips 260 of annularrecess 256, as shown in FIG. 7. The ends of armor wires 212 are placedin the appropriate grooves 252 in terminating sleeve housing 232 so thattermination sleeves 244 lie in annular recess 256, as shown in FIG. 4.

Before armor wires 212 are placed in annular recess 256, they arerewound in a helical manner until they reach terminating sleeve housing232. The ends 247 of armor wires 212 should overlap slightly. Thatportion of armor wires 212 extending out beyond terminating sleeves 244is bound tightly with binder wire 264 as shown in FIG. 4. Terminatingsleeves 244 are drawn up against the lips 260 of annular recess 256 whentension is placed on cable 200. The tensile load on armor wires 212 istransmitted through the body of terminating sleeve housings 232.

Armor wires 216 of cable section C are helically wrapped around theinner armor wires 212 until the terminating sleeve housing 232 atposition 236 is reached, are laid over housing 232 in a directionparallel to cable sections C and D, (utilizing shallow grooves 254 tohold the wires 216 in place), and then are helically wrapped for therest of their lengths. Armor wires 216 of cable section D are similarlywrapped. Armor wires 216 are bound tightly with binder wires 268 atpositions 236 and 240. Armor wires 216 are spliced at positions 272 and276 by the method given in the discussion of FIGS. 1 and 2, utilizingcrimped sleeves 282, spacer rods 228 and binder wires 286 (see FIG.

Segments of helically shaped spacer rod 290 are placed around cable 200between positions 236272, 272-276, and 176240. Polyethylene pipe 220 isslipped over the splice area encompassing positions 236, 272, 276, and240. Thermoplastic collars 294 are placed at each end of pipe 220.Collar 294 is comprised ofa split annular that fits very loosely aroundarmor wires 216 but tightly within the end apertures of pipe 220. Asmall metal mold is placed at each end of pipe 220. Each is of a taperedshape ending a few inches beyond position 224 on that part of each ofcable sections C and D which has not had the outer jacket stripped away.The cable is tensioned slightly in a sloping position. Elastomer beddingcompound 298 is forced into the area around the wires and splicesthrough a hole in the lower mold until it issues from a hole in theupper mold, filling pipe 220. After curing, the molds are removed.Thermoplastic tape 302 is then helically wound around the taperedencapsulated areas at the ends of pipe 220 and fused into a continuouscoating by means of heat.

This type of splice eliminates the danger of void spaces and the problemof slack wires. The splice area is about 6 feet, but this is still muchshorter than those made by the conventional splice methods. The splicearea is flexible and has a small, generally regular diameter. The splicealso has about 100 percent of the original strength of the originalcable. The use of the polyethylene pipe eliminates the expense of a verylong mold, and the time and cost of hand wrapping and fusingthermoplastic tapes the entire length of the jacket restoration.

Armor wires 212 of cable sections C and D can be divided into other thantwo groups with each group terminated at different positions along thebared portions of cable sections C and D, provided the proper mating ofwires occurs so that the original strength of the armor wires can berestored. As explained in the discussion of FIGS. 1 and 2, armor wires216 of cable sections C and D can similarly be divided into more thantwo groups with each group terminated at different lengths. The numberof places that armor wires 216 are spliced does not have to be the sameas the number of places that armor wires 212 are spliced. The sequenceof the splice positions is not limited to that shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of one of the splice areasof armor wires 212. A similar longitudinal crosssectional view of one ofthe splice areas of armor wires 216 is shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is atransverse cross-sectional view of the splice area of armor wires 212shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view ofterminating sleeve housing 232 shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a sideelevation view of termination sleeve housing 232.

What I claim is:

1. A splice between two elongated cable sections, where each cablesection includes an elongated core member, one or more separate layers,each separate layer being comprised of a plurality of elongated strengthmembers concentrically arranged around the core member, and an outerjacket of thermoplastic or other suitable material, comprised of:

a. the elongated core members of the two cable sections attachedmechanically to each other in an abutting positron;

b. the plurality of elongated strength members of each separate layer ofone of the cable sections terminated at least at two different positionsalong the length of the cable section and attached mechanically to thecorresponding elongated strength members of each separate layer of theother cable section which have been terminated at the same positions toaccomplish the matings, where the outer jacket of each cable section hasbeen removed back to a suitable position, whereby there is sufficientspace to splice one cable section to the other;

e. an elastomeric substance embedded around the elongated strengthmembers and the various attachment positions; and

d. a continuous outer coating distinct from said elastomeric substancecovering the entire area of the cables from which the outerjacket hasbeen removed.

2. The cable splice in claim 1 wherein each cable section in cludes onelayer of elongated strength members.

3. The cable splice in claim 2 wherein the layer of elongated strengthmembers is embedded in the inside portion of the outer jacket.

4. The cable splice in claim 3 wherein the core members are electricallyconnected.

5. The cable splice in claim 3 wherein the elongated strength membersare electrically connected.

6. The cable splice in claim 3 wherein the elongated strength membersare armor wires.

7. The cable splice in claim 6 wherein the armor wires of each cablesection are helically wrapped around the core member.

8. The cable splice in claim 7 wherein the armor wires of each cablesection terminate at two corresponding positions.

9. The cable splice in claim 8 wherein the armor wires of each cablesection are attached to each other by means of crimped sleeves that fitover the ends of the individual armor wires.

10. The cable splice in claim 9 wherein each group of crimped sleeves istightly bound together into a bundle by means ofa binder wire.

' 11. The cable splice in claim 10 wherein the continuous outer coatingextends onto the outer jacket of each cable section.

12. The cable splice in claim 11 wherein the ends of the continuousouter coating are tapered away from the splice area.

13. The cable splice in claim 12 wherein a plurality of layers of glassfiber and a plurality of layers of pressure-sensitive polyester tape areincluded between the elastomeric substance and the continuous outerlayer.

14. The cable splice in claim 13 wherein the elastomeric substance is apolysulfide rubber compound.

15. The cable splice in claim 1 wherein each cable section includes twoseparate layers of elongated strength members.

16. The cable splice in claim 15 wherein there are at least two housingswhich are traversed longitudinally by an internal passageway and whichare positioned on each cable section at each position ofinner layertermination and inside of the outer layer of elongated strength members,and the terminations of said inner layer of elongated strength membersbeing mechanically attached to the housings and those inner elongatedstrength members which are not attached to a particular housing passthrough the internal passageway of that housing.

17. The cable splice in claim 16 wherein the core members areelectrically connected.

18. The cable splice in claim 16 wherein the inner layer of elongatedstrength members is electrically connected.

19. The cable splice in claim 16 wherein the elongated strength membersare armor wires.

20. The cable splice in claim 19 wherein the housings are inwardlytapered at those portions near the openings of the internal passageway,have an annular recess that traverses the housing in a direction that isgenerally perpendicular to the internal passageway, have annular ridgesthat lie between the annular recess and the tapered end portions, andhave a plurality of external grooves extending through the annularridges that are generally parallel to the internal passageway, whereincorresponding inner armor wires are attached to the housings by means ofa sleeve affixed near the end of the sleeve members which fit into theannular recess when the particular inner armor wires are placed in theexternal grooves of the housings.

21. The cable splice in claim 20 wherein the sleeves attached near theend of each armor wire are attached by means of crimping.

22. The cable splice in claim 21 wherein the ends of the inner armorwires in the annular recess various housings are bound tightly into abundle by means of a binder wire.

23. The cable splice in claim 22 wherein the outer armor wires are boundtightly around the various housings by means of a binder wire.

24. The cable splice in claim 23 wherein the armor wires of each cablesection are helically wrapped around the core member.

' 25. The cable splice in claim 24 wherein the armor wires of each cablesection terminate at two corresponding positions.

26. The cable splice in claim 25 wherein the continuous outer coatingextends onto the thermoplastic jacket of each cable section.

27. The cable splice in claim 26 wherein the ends of the continuousouter coating are tapered away from the splice area.

28. The cable splice in claim 27 wherein the continuous outer coatingconsists of a polyethylene tube in the nontapered-areas and of aheat-fused polyethylene wrapping in the tapered areas.

29. The method of splicing together two cable sections, where each cablesection includes an elongated core member, one or more separate layers,each separate layer being comprised of a plurality of elongated strengthmembers concentrically arranged around the core member, and an outerjacket of thermoplastic or other suitable material, which comprises:

a. removing the outer jacket of each cable section back to a suitableposition whereby there is sufficient space to splice one cable sectionto the other;

b. attaching the elongated core members mechanically to each other in anabutting position;

c. terminating the elongated strength members of each separate layer ofone of the cable sections at least at two different positions andterminating the corresponding elongated strength members of eachseparate layer of the other cable section at the proper positions toaccomplish the matings;

' d. attaching the ends of the mating elongated strength membersmechanically to each other;

e. embedding the elongated strength members and the various splicingpositions within an elastomeric substance prior to application oftensileload; and then f. placing a continuous outer coating over the entirearea of the cable sections from which the outer jacket has been removed

1. A splice between two elongated cable sections, where each cablesection includes an elongated core member, one or more separate layers,each separate layer being comprised of a plurality of elongated strengthmembers concentrically arranged around the core member, and an outerjacket of thermoplastic or other suitable material, comprised of: a. theelongated core members of the two cable sections attached mechanicallyto each other in an abutting position; b. the plurality of elongatedstrength members of each separate layer of one of the cable sectionsterminated at least at two different positions along the length of thecable section and attached mechanically to the corresponding elongatedstrength members of each separate layer of the other cable section whichhave been terminated at the same positions to accomplish the matings,where the outer jacket of each cable section has been removed back to asuitable position, whereby there is sufficient space to splice one cablesection to the other; c. an elastomeric substance embedded around theelongated strength members and the various attachment positions; and d.a continuous outer coating distinct from said elastomeric substancecovering the entire area of the cables from which the outer jacket hasbeen removed.
 2. The cable splice in claim 1 wherein each cable sectionincludes one layer of elongated strength members.
 3. The cable splice inclaim 2 wherein the layer of elongated strength members is embedded inthe inside portion of the outer jacket.
 4. The cable splice in claim 3wherein the core members are electrically connected.
 5. The cable splicein claim 3 wherein the elongated strength members are electricallyconnected.
 6. The cable splice in claim 3 wherein the elongated strengthmembers are armor wires.
 7. The cable splice in claim 6 wherein thearmor wires of each cable section are helically wrapped around the Coremember.
 8. The cable splice in claim 7 wherein the armor wires of eachcable section terminate at two corresponding positions.
 9. The cablesplice in claim 8 wherein the armor wires of each cable section areattached to each other by means of crimped sleeves that fit over theends of the individual armor wires.
 10. The cable splice in claim 9wherein each group of crimped sleeves is tightly bound together into abundle by means of a binder wire.
 11. The cable splice in claim 10wherein the continuous outer coating extends onto the outer jacket ofeach cable section.
 12. The cable splice in claim 11 wherein the ends ofthe continuous outer coating are tapered away from the splice area. 13.The cable splice in claim 12 wherein a plurality of layers of glassfiber and a plurality of layers of pressure-sensitive polyester tape areincluded between the elastomeric substance and the continuous outerlayer.
 14. The cable splice in claim 13 wherein the elastomericsubstance is a polysulfide rubber compound.
 15. The cable splice inclaim 1 wherein each cable section includes two separate layers ofelongated strength members.
 16. The cable splice in claim 15 whereinthere are at least two housings which are traversed longitudinally by aninternal passageway and which are positioned on each cable section ateach position of inner layer termination and inside of the outer layerof elongated strength members, and the terminations of said inner layerof elongated strength members being mechanically attached to thehousings and those inner elongated strength members which are notattached to a particular housing pass through the internal passageway ofthat housing.
 17. The cable splice in claim 16 wherein the core membersare electrically connected.
 18. The cable splice in claim 16 wherein theinner layer of elongated strength members is electrically connected. 19.The cable splice in claim 16 wherein the elongated strength members arearmor wires.
 20. The cable splice in claim 19 wherein the housings areinwardly tapered at those portions near the openings of the internalpassageway, have an annular recess that traverses the housing in adirection that is generally perpendicular to the internal passageway,have annular ridges that lie between the annular recess and the taperedend portions, and have a plurality of external grooves extending throughthe annular ridges that are generally parallel to the internalpassageway, wherein corresponding inner armor wires are attached to thehousings by means of a sleeve affixed near the end of the sleeve memberswhich fit into the annular recess when the particular inner armor wiresare placed in the external grooves of the housings.
 21. The cable splicein claim 20 wherein the sleeves attached near the end of each armor wireare attached by means of crimping.
 22. The cable splice in claim 21wherein the ends of the inner armor wires in the annular recess varioushousings are bound tightly into a bundle by means of a binder wire. 23.The cable splice in claim 22 wherein the outer armor wires are boundtightly around the various housings by means of a binder wire.
 24. Thecable splice in claim 23 wherein the armor wires of each cable sectionare helically wrapped around the core member.
 25. The cable splice inclaim 24 wherein the armor wires of each cable section terminate at twocorresponding positions.
 26. The cable splice in claim 25 wherein thecontinuous outer coating extends onto the thermoplastic jacket of eachcable section.
 27. The cable splice in claim 26 wherein the ends of thecontinuous outer coating are tapered away from the splice area.
 28. Thecable splice in claim 27 wherein the continuous outer coating consistsof a polyethylene tube in the nontapered areas and of a heat-fusedpolyethylene wrapping in the tapered areas.
 29. The method of splicingtogether two cable sections, where each cable section includes anelongated core member, one or more separate layers, each separate layerbeing comprised of a plurality of elongated strength membersconcentrically arranged around the core member, and an outer jacket ofthermoplastic or other suitable material, which comprises: a. removingthe outer jacket of each cable section back to a suitable positionwhereby there is sufficient space to splice one cable section to theother; b. attaching the elongated core members mechanically to eachother in an abutting position; c. terminating the elongated strengthmembers of each separate layer of one of the cable sections at least attwo different positions and terminating the corresponding elongatedstrength members of each separate layer of the other cable section atthe proper positions to accomplish the matings; d. attaching the ends ofthe mating elongated strength members mechanically to each other; e.embedding the elongated strength members and the various splicingpositions within an elastomeric substance prior to application oftensile load; and then f. placing a continuous outer coating over theentire area of the cable sections from which the outer jacket has beenremoved.